Ricco/Maresca Gallery is pleased to present “I DO, I DO,” an exhibition that explores and re-contextualizes the theme and iconography of marriage. The core of “I DO, I DO” is a collection of 100 vintage nuptial cabinet cards ranging from ca. 1885-1900, all produced by studios in Wisconsin; a geographic specificity that remains a mystery and, perhaps beyond coincidence, is true of most American images of this variety. These portraits, made otherworldly under the veneer of time, exist forever frozen on the threshold between the private stories they conceal and the rigid conventions of the genre. Like actors against a backdrop, these anonymous posing couples heighten both the contractual nature of a relationship recognized by law or religion and the performative premise of wedlock.
Also included is a collection of 115 wedding cake toppers; emblematic bride and groom figurines amassed for over 40 years and spanning the period between 1920 and 1960. These candidly literal depictions of marital bliss (each pair essentially one piece of miniature sculpture) survived, as powerful symbols do, their ephemeral tiered kingdoms and the mortality of their real counterparts. Through the concurrence and visual dialogue of its singular component parts, this exhibition considers notions of genealogy and ritual as connected to memory-making, irony, and kitsch under a contemporary spotlight that will summon believers and skeptics alike.

"I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream,” a song first published in 1927, by Howard Johnson, Billy Moll, and Robert King, stems from a commercial slogan for the I-Scream bar now known as the Eskimo Pie. This iconic ditty instantly evokes the sweet feeling of summer - sitting poolside enjoying a popsicle, chasing down the musical call of an ice cream truck, or finding yourself a snow cone at a street fair on a steamy August day.

Robert Mann Gallery’s summer exhibition, I Scream, You Scream, looks at both the visual and social culture of ice cream by juxtaposing contemporary color images of ice cream itself with historical images of people savoring every sweet morsel. The show explores how photographers can capture the playfulness of the human experience indulging in the pleasures of life that will melt in your mind, not your hand.

The light-hearted chant epitomizes the amusing scene captured by Garry Winogrand of a women throwing her head back in laughter as she gracefully holds on to her ice cream cone or a phallic advertisement that will cause even the most mature of us to giggle a little. I Scream, You Scream also brings a sense of nostalgia through works by Martin Parr, where we get transported back in time to see ice cream appear as charming novelty food that may have since found sanctuary in an vintage shop.

Conversely, the show incorporates works by Simone Rosenbauer, where the image of ice cream is decontextualized and made into a universal symbol by removing it from the consumer and placing it against a single color background. PUTPUT goes even further and removes the function of two common objects by placing a sponge in guise of a popsicle, creating a visual semblance that confuses our perception and makes us reconsider the materiality of objects.

From humorous snapshots of human delight to a fallen soldier poetically melting on the scorching pavement, the works on display offer a multifaceted look at the role ice cream plays in society. It can represent America’s tendency to reinvent itself, like the ever growing number of flavors, while still preserving elements of the past, like a traditional ice cream stand seen in Jim Dow’s The Sno House that calls to those looking for comfort from sweltering summers. Such ideas lead to more theoretical conversations on society’s reluctance to change as Olivia Locher’s mischievous character, whose outright defiance breaks an outdated Alabama law by having an ice cream cone drip from her back pocket, provides a satirical approach to holding on to the past. Whichever way you lick it, there is nothing sweeter than enjoying a creamy ice cream on a sunny day.

We are excited to present a historical and cultural exhibition entitled: Tėvynė / Patria commemorating 130 years of American Lithuanian history unified under SLA, Susivienijimo Lietuvių Amerikoje. SLA is the acronym in Lithuanian for LAA, the Lithuanian Alliance of America. This exhibition will be on view from July 15 - September 30, 2017 with an opening reception on SATURDAY, July 15th from 4pm - 8pm. The exhibition will take place at the heart of SLA/LAA located at 307 W. 30th Street, New York, NY 10001.

SLA/LAA is the oldest American Lithuanian Organization still active today. The exhibition displays SLA/LAA’s unique and original artifacts and memorabilia, which contextualize the rich historical evolution of the organization from its inception in 1886. SLA/LAA germinated via Dr. Jonas Šliupas’s editorial: Lietuviškas balsas/Lithuanian Voice, where mutual ideas and concerns were shared and the concept of SLA/LAA was born. Eastern Europe’s turbulence in the late 19th and early 20th centuries displaced many Lithuanians from their homeland. This amplified the importance to safeguard language and culture, endow Lithuanian organizations to prosper, and advocate for an independent Lithuania. SLA/LAA became a significant conduit for preservation and political activism establishing chapters across the United States. As a cultural hub, the organization attracted notable Lithuanian activists such as Jonas Basanavicius, Žemaite, Martynas Yčas,. With as many as 350 chapters, the primary dissemination of information took form in the newspaper: Tėvynė.

Launched in 1896 Tėvynė was printed in SLA/LAA’s headquarters and was intended to keep American Lithuanian’s abreast of pertinent information related to Lithuanian culture, politics, economics etc. In more recent publications the use of both Lithuanian and English languages are present. Original copies of Tėvynė will be on display in addition to SLA/LAA insurance forms, member lists, medals, seals, accounting books, photos, correspondence between SLA/LAA members, albums, cultural pamphlets, original Tėvynė printing plates and a selection of books from SLA/LAA’s Collective Library. The library is rich with Lithuanian Literature, especially dating from 1901-1915, when Russian occupied Lithuania was banned from publishing in their native language. This provoked the SLA Collective Library to print their own Lithuanian literature and unify with other American-Lithuanians: the older generation of Idealists, Patriots and the Community to preserve the written language for future generations. As part of the exhibition you will have an an opportunity to see Jonas Mekas film Was There a War? - a closure of an everyday lives of Lithuanian immigrants in 1950-1953 America. NY premiere! The film is in Lithuanian language only.

Over the years SLA/LAA has reshaped itself according to its cultural needs. At one point it transformed from a fraternal coalition to an insurance company, fiscally aiding those in need and investing capital into Lithuanian cultural activities. The organization bought property, built churches, created Lithuanian schools, supported students, orphans and Lithuanian culture. In 2015, SLA/LAA created Sla307 Art Space as an art department, that organizes art exhibitions, literary events, concerts, lectures and film screenings.

Today, the building is more then an archive, it is a living organism of a very old culture and a vital component that makes up part of New York City’s culture and history. Next year, February 16, 2018, marks the 100th Anniversary of Lithuania’s Independence, a milestone for all Lithuanians and of SLA/LAA 130th anniversary, who was a seminal advocate for Lithuania’s independence and preservation.

For Gallery hours please visit: www.sla307.com
We hope to see you at the exhibition!

September 5 - September 30, 2017.
Thursday, September 7, 6-8PM. Opening Reception and a book signing of Ann Zinman Leventhal's new novel, “Among the Survivors“.
Thursday September 28, 6-8PM A night of portraiture. All are invited to draw or be drawn!

Chelsea NY: Viridian Artists is pleased to present ”Selfies & Self-Portraits: 21st C Artists See Themselves“, which extends from September 5 through September 30 2017. The opening reception will be on Thursday, September 7, 6-8PM with a book signing by Ann Z Leventhal.
Artists have been creating self-portraits since the beginning of time, but now with cell phone cameras, the selfie has become the ubiquitous portrayal of self. The selfie has become today's self-portrait, but does it go beyond being just a likeness of the self which the artist has created or is it self-indulgence?
What is a self-portrait? What meanings does it encompass? How honest is reality or an artists' interpretation, even with a media so direct as the iPhone? Couldn't it just be the moment and an arbitrary decision to snap the shutter or be based on the composition of shapes in the image? Is it photography in the same way as our trusty old 35mm cameras performed? Is it more truthful than a brush and paint with a mirror nearby? What is art? What is reality?
Viridian has invited guest artists, as well as its usual entourage, to create and show images they feel represent themselves. Artists were invited to send us a ”selfie", aka 21st C self-portrait and to create their selfie in the form of an art object in any media they desire. All the while, thinking about who they are/ what inspires & what motivates them. Or just to do an old-fashioned self-portrait!
Some are outrageous, some political, some as classical as Durer, Rembrandt, but with a twist. Today's self-portraiture because of a thousand reasons has become more diverse & more conceptual. How we see artists from the past may have to do more with their self-portrayals than documents in their archives. But how we see artists today via their self-image is a whole new conundrum.
On the last Thursday evening of the exhibit, September 28th, there will be an evening of portrait drawing. All interested are invited to bring their drawing pads & materials to create self- portraits or portraits of each other. Guests are invited to pose for portraits which can be traded or paid for at the rate of $1 a minute. Come between 6-8PM & participate or just observe. A good time is guaranteed for all! The exhibition continues until Saturday, September 30th.

Masterworks, a regularly changing exhibition at the Rubin, explores major strands in the development of Himalayan art, covering a period of over one thousand years, and presents regional artistic traditions in their broad cultural, geographic, historical, and stylistic contexts. The 2017 iteration of this exhibition draws primarily from the Rubin collection and is augmented by a few select long-term loans.

Masterworks is organized geographically, showcasing the diverse regional traditions of western Tibet, central Tibet, eastern Tibet, and Bhutan in relation to the neighboring areas of India, Kashmir, Nepal, China, and Mongolia.

A special area of the gallery is devoted to an extensive display of all 59 folio of The White Beryl, a prominent recent acquisition and an exquisitely illuminated manuscript illustrating the Tibetan system of elemental divination.

Curated by Karl Debreczeny

Support of this exhibition has been provided by contributors to the 2016 Exhibitions Fund.